Age limits, relaxation and reservation in central recruitment

How age is counted

Every notification fixes a cut-off date, often 1 January or 1 August of the exam year. You must be within the age limits on that date, as shown by your Class 10 certificate. One day over the limit means you are not eligible.

Standard relaxation in upper age

Economically Weaker Section (EWS) candidates get reservation but no age relaxation. Some recruitments, such as Agnipath and the defence officer entries, give no category-based relaxation at all.

Reservation in central posts

• Scheduled Castes: 15%
• Scheduled Tribes: 7.5%
• Other Backward Classes (non-creamy layer): 27%
• Economically Weaker Sections: 10%
• Persons with benchmark disabilities: 4%, counted across the categories above
• Ex-servicemen: 10% in Group C posts, also counted across categories

These percentages apply to all-India open competition. For posts filled locally, the shares for SC, ST and OBC follow the population of the state concerned.

Certificates decide everything

• OBC candidates need a non-creamy-layer certificate in the central format, issued within the period the notification specifies.
• EWS certificates are valid for one financial year.
• A caste certificate valid for a state's own recruitment may not be accepted for central posts if the community is not on the central list.

Claiming a category without a valid certificate on the cut-off date is the most common reason candidates lose a selection at document verification.

States are different

States have their own reservation shares, their own lists of backward classes and usually a domicile condition: candidates from other states are treated as unreserved. Age limits are also set state by state and are often much higher than central ones.